The Rat-Piper Scheme
The Amazing Maurice and His Educated RodentsMaurice’s profitable traveling deception is challenged by the rats’ growing moral independence and finally transformed into a public service.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
A New Scheme

A Rat-Piper Scheme
The invention
Maurice turns a handful of clever Rats and a flute-playing boy into a convincing plague and its supposed cure.
Its price
The scheme earns money, but Peaches and Dangerous Beans increasingly question its dishonesty.
The Last Town

One More Job
A reluctant agreement
Peaches argues that the trick should end; Keith also wants to stop, while Maurice negotiates one final performance.
A risky target
Bad Blintz looks prosperous, and its reward for rat tails promises a lucrative finale.
A False Plague

The Familiar Performance
Manufactured alarm
The Rats create the visible signs of infestation, expecting the townspeople to hire a piper to remove them.
A troubling mismatch
The town is short of food, yet Rat-catchers display implausibly large hauls of tails.
The Scheme Unmasked

A Confession
Malicia connects the clues
Malicia recognizes the traveling scam, but learns that the newcomers have found no living local Rats.
Maurice’s assumptions fail
Bootlace aglets expose fake tails, and Keith openly apologizes for the group’s deception.
A Different Agreement

A New Kind of Deal
From fraud to negotiation
Maurice replaces a paid escape with a proposal for the Clan to protect the town and receive lawful compensation.
A continuing story
The Rats and humans establish rules instead of pretending the conflict can vanish overnight.
Before the journey to Uberwald
On the mountain road toward Bad Blintz
Early in the Bad Blintz visit
After Sardines is caught in the kitchen trap
During the final council meeting